The Diplomat
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, José Manuel Albares and Margarita Robles, will participate between today and tomorrow in Brussels in the European Council of Foreign Affairs and Defense, in which the 27 EU states will discuss sanctions against Russia and diplomatic and military support to Ukraine.
Albares will participate today in the first day of the Council, where the 27 EU member states will discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine, focusing on issues such as EU support, restrictive measures, food security in light of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russian accountability, the peace plan presented by the Ukrainian government and support for the Ukraine Peace Summit in mid-July. Separately, the EU Special Envoy for the implementation of EU sanctions, David O’Sullivan, will update ministers on his overall work.
The FAC will also address the situation in the Horn of Africa, a region of great geostrategic importance covering Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, and will pay particular attention to the outbreak of war in Sudan, internally displaced persons in the region or delays in the implementation of the Peace Agreement in South Sudan.
Another item on the agenda is the situation in the Western Balkans. Over lunch, EU foreign ministers will hold a working lunch with the six Western Balkan foreign ministers. The exchange is expected to focus on the relations between the EU and the Western Balkans in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its repercussions in the region, the EU’s expectations regarding the fulfillment of commitments and reforms by these countries, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina or the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Robles will participate in the Foreign Affairs Council with the Ministers of Defense, which will address the EU support to Ukraine, focusing on the situation on the ground, including the upcoming counteroffensive, and the evolution of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) and the so-called “three-track approach” adopted by the European Union to accelerate the delivery and joint procurement of ammunition to supply one million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine over the next twelve months.
The first track, adopted by the Council on April 13, 2023, is valued at one billion euros and will serve to reimburse the donated material – from existing stocks – between February 9 and May 31, 2023, corresponding to ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition and, if requested, missiles. The second track, adopted on May 5, includes another billion for joint procurement of ammunition and missiles for Ukraine from European industry. The third May approach comes from the European Commission’s recommendations to finance the increase of EU production capacities and to remove regulatory bottlenecks.
During a working lunch, the defense ministers will hold an informal exchange with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
